Thinking Theologically about Sickness and Healing, Part 3

Today on Insight for living from Chuck's window in our weakness in our Lord's move overall reflection touched with our weaknesses is grieved with you over the length of your depression.

He sits alongside you, as it were in the hospital room as you live with this dread disease. He is taught with feelings of sympathy for you in your weakness suffers. It's natural to wonder why God doesn't swoop down from heaven and provide a rescue, especially when we spent countless hours in prayer, pleading with him for relief today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll points to several key passages of the Bible give us a glimpse of the mysterious mind of God will discover that even when he signed.

We can be sure that God is deeply compassionate about our suffering as a foundation for his closing application today.

Chuck begins with six biblical facts regarding sin and six.

We need to understand our God and how he is put us together and how it relates to the whole realm of the of the sickness because they are interrelated and will help you come to an understanding on your in your own study and in your own observation of others. So let me walk my way through this and share with you these facts. Here's the first primarily there are two types of sin original and personal original sin is traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve, the first couple yielded to the temptation of the devil and in the fall into sin they introduced into the human race a corruption a pollution that has spiritually ruined humanity. This is called Adamic sin original sin, the sin nature personal Sam is an individual matter. Adamic sin is universal when you send personally, I do not necessarily sin but we all have a sin nature which we come by from birth we are sinners by birth and therefore we become sinners by choice in acting this obediently. We carry out the fruit growing from the root of per of Adamic sin, because deceit rests in my nature. IDC because disobedience rests in my nature are rebel and disobey.

Keep those two clear in your mind as we go to the second original sin, introduced sickness, suffering and death to the human race. Ezekiel 18 for the soul that sends shall die first Corinthians 1521 for since by man came death, that man of course would be Adam, the first man. Fact number three. Often there exists a direct relationship between personal sins and physical sickness. Not always, but often there exists a direct relationship between personal sins and sickness. Numerous examples are found in the Scriptures. I want you to turn to one that is notorious. It is David Psalm number 32.

It's a notorious example of a man who send with Bathsheba. This famous sin has been left in his legacy as a part of the heartache of his life, but the struggle.

The man went through while hiding the adultery and the hypocrisy and the murder of Bathsheba's husband.

All of that built to such a place that he became literally sick, and the misery didn't leave until we came to terms with our wrong verse five. Finally, I acknowledged my sin to the my iniquity.

I did not hide.

I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and look at the result, thou didst forgive the guilt of mice now back to our fax number four sometimes there is no relationship between us between personal sins and human affliction. Sometime there is no relationship between personal sins and human affliction's and this is a good time for me to caution you about being the messenger of God to every person who is ill telling them there must be something wrong in your life you have no right to say that occasionally you may be the appointed Nathan and son David's life. Occasionally God may use you to carry out. Galatians 61, you who are spiritual help in the restoration of one who is fallen or sin is involved.

You may be the one to say you are the man. Are you are the woman, but you may not be, and it may not be suffering because of sick because of sin, sometimes there's no relationship here in the New Testament look at John chapter 9 and you see a classic example of a man born blind, and his blindness had nothing to do with personal sin of himself or of his parents, John nine as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, saying Rabbi who send me they have been taught by their teachers that when you find sickness, then you know that there it's the result of sinfulness and did this man sin or his parents so that there would be blindness. Jesus answered this answer. It was neither that this man Sam nor his parents. He's blind for a sovereign plan from God not related to some disobedient act of his parents are himself, but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in the which leads to another subject entirely and just want you to see the occasion when Jesus himself says this this affliction is not related to persons if I may. One more Hebrews 415. It is of a verse that you and I have quoted related to prayer and in the Lord's ministry to us. Hebrews 414 and 15. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession look at this 15 for for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. Here is an affliction weakness. He sympathizes with, but he is one who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin.

What's my point my my point is, if it were some active sin that created our weaknesses. The, the writer would say. Confess your sins, you will recover.

But he says here in our weakness, our Lord is moved over our affliction. He's touched with our weaknesses. He doesn't say. Therefore, deal with sin in your life and you will recover. Says his heart is moved over your pain. He is grieved with you over the length of your depression. He sits alongside you, as it were in the hospital room as you live with this that the impact of this dread disease as you go through the chemotherapy related to your malignancy. He is touched with feelings of sympathy for you and your weaknesses. It's not as simple as simply confessing sins and finding recovery if it were he would say so here we read that he sympathizes with us in our weaknesses because there is no direct relationship between personal sins and sick. I have known too many people who have been gravely ill and have sought their heart have searched their hard-to-find wrong. There and find nothing there that they haven't convinced and I have seen many of them waste away wondering what it could be related to their lives when it may not be related to sin at all persons now keep an open mind. You stayed with me through four of these.

This is where the rub comes number five.

Sometimes it is not God's will that we be healed. Sometimes it is not God's will that we be healed.

I am so convinced of this that I want to set aside a special message in this series on reasons we are not that again is seldom addressed only the healing part of life is addressed. Seldom do we hear anyone come up front and talk about why is it that he doesn't he. What are some of the reasons set forth in Scripture while your Bible is open to close by. Look at second Timothy chapter 4 very near the end of Paul's last letter. Verse 20. Sometime it is not God's will that we be healed three or named in Scripture as is literally not healed. Erastus remained a car and I'm in second Timothy 420 Erastus remained at Corinth trough a must. I left sick at Miletus. Wait a minute Paul in the days of the apostles Paul as an apostle had the supernatural gift that God gave him and the apostles to heal during the period when the apostles were to be verified as true emissaries of God before the Scriptures were complete and hero possibly apostle Paul says I left trough. It was sick at Miletus didn't healing.

He was left sick so we know said Philippians 227 Working Your Way back toward the earlier part of the New Testament Philippians 227 referring to a pastoral digest.

There is another example. Indeed, he was sick to the point of death. But God had mercy on him and not on him only, but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow here is a man who was was sick. Verse 26. In fact, sick to the point of death and Paul was helpless to turn things around until God intervened. Whatever may have been his sickness were not told in the classic one is second Corinthians chapter 12 which you will remember is Paul himself. Second Corinthians 12 verse seven because of the surpassing greatness of the Revelation.

For this reason, to keep me from exalting myself. There was given me a foreign in the flesh. And here's this classic foreign in the flesh.

I've heard men refer to their wives as a foreign in the flesh. I've even heard why refer to their husbands as a foreign in the flesh.

This thorn is is not that kind of fall. This is a state. This is a piercing pain. Perhaps it was head pain like migraine. It was some bodily pain of some kind. He calls it a messenger allowed by God, a messenger of Satan for the purpose of buffeting me to keep me from exalting myself. You don't meet many proud people who were sick you meet very few arrogant people who are living with lingering pain and humbles us it buffets us.

It breaks and he says concerning this concerning what the foreign before and I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me, this is the great apostle Paul who could say it all in one sentence one request, but three separate times. Perhaps at the point virtually of of unconsciousness and pain. He pled with God to take away the foreign three times and he said no three-time verse nine he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, power is perfected in weakness.

So the answer was no. The rest of that is another story.

Sometime it is not God's will that we be healed. Will you be very very careful what you promise. A person who is sick when you guard your lips from heresy because of a gosh of emotion are a concern for them and their pain.

We can go further than we should and placed before them. Expectations that have no biblical foundation.

It is not God's will that every person be healed if it were, there would not be a sick Christian today. Certainly not one who lives with illness.

For those in his family would be shielded from it and quickly pulled out of think, think biblically, think theologically, it passages like this and there are others that can be used set this forth.

Then apply that to your prayer life and to your words with your sick friends. There were words of comfort you can bring without promising healing. God is there. He does not forsake us. He is with us through the hardest times, but it is not always with the promise of healing or relief from pain. Now, the happy news is number six and perhaps with this we should stop. On other occasions, it is God's wheel God's will that we be healed and he does so. On other occasions, it is God's will that we be healed and he does so just hit a quick glance in ended and our message ends. James chapter 5, to which we want to turn in our next study time doesn't permit it now so we will develop it then. James five verse 13 down through verse 16 is anyone among you suffering and pray. Is anyone cheerful let them sing praises.

Is anyone among you sick to different word entirely, not only in English but in Greek from the word suffering. In verse 13, Haldol explained that when we go into a deeper, this is the word for sick. This is a word for incapacitated week and unable to get around. Is anyone among you sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. Look at the promise in this case, the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord notices not demanding praise, not the elders. The Lord will raise him up if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

He may or may not have been have had since related to his sickness. But if he has, they will become fast and that will be used in the healing. He will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another so that you may be healed. It's a profound subject, full of intrigue and interest and anyone who thinks deeply wrestles with the why's and wherefore's of it.

Perhaps we gotten far enough into it to make you aware that there is a lot of it that you just don't know someone is said years passed my life. Education is going from an unconscious to conscious awareness of one's ignorance. I that that happens in the Scripture than education and the word of God awakens me to the vast realms of my ignorance and I tend to back away and become less dogmatic about a lot of things. Once I become aware of this magnificent God, whom I love and serve and his plan that is supremely mysterious, profound, like us to bow together would you do that with me.

Perhaps this hasn't brought the relief that you needed and wanted an anticipated carousel on the subject.

Perhaps it has a disturb you that I would say it is not God's will that everyone be healed, live with that.

Stay with that thought struggled through think it out in Scripture.

Perhaps you heard so much that you need the hope of at least the presence of God, who is with you and you have certainly heard that. Maybe you've heard enough to know that there's some things wrong in your life that have no business going on any longer that may very well explain the misery of your present condition. If so, heed the words of James. Confess your sins is a child of God, you will be forgiven. He will raise you up, Lord, in this quiet moment of reflection. We recommit ourselves to you. Times like we have spent around your word. I have reminded us that to we are the clay you are the Potter and we do not shape ourselves, but you shape us, just as you formed us in the womb, so you content continue to work upon us and within us. How anxious we are for relief. Ideally, instant relief, but how necessary is the period of waiting, or we grow wiser, deeper for humility has a chance to take place.

Replacing conceit and arrogance and needless pride, dogmatism make us people of comfort those who bring hope and truth to individuals who have lost heart and remind us Lord that we are all living our lives under your profound plan may we find a sense of peace and purpose, and that I close father by praying for those who this moment live with the grinding relentless struggle of pain in their lives to comfort them.

Be to them the shield to protect her guard them from the enemy thoughts of suicide, upholding father and use us in the process of their recovery in their suffering.

I pray for those in the medical profession for nurses who serve faithfully alongside the sick for physicians who must do the difficult task. I pray that you would use these emissaries of mercy as your earthly angels of encouragement and strength to those who have lost their way. We pray these things father trusting you for the outcome and for the glory in Jesus name this is Insight for living and with Chuck's closing prayer, we conclude our three day presentation called thinking theologically about sickness and healing. This is message number nine and a 14 part study if you're prepared to take a deeper dive into the subject of sickness and healing, and many of the other topics we address in this teaching series. They recommend Chuck's book. It's called embraced by the spirit.

The untold benefits of intimacy with God. In Galatians 525. The apostle Paul wrote these words, if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit strong counsel from the apostle about cultivating our walk with God and Chuck's book, you'll discover the wonderful outcomes we walk right alongside God keeping in step with the spirit to learn more about walking in this way request a copy of embraced by the spirit by Chuck Swindoll. It's available for purchase when you call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or visit Insight.org/store closing just a reminder that it's not the provision of resources that carries this ministry. Instead, it's your generous donations that empower Insight for living to deliver these daily Bible studies. In fact, when you give your actually making it possible for someone you may never meet in a place you likely never visit to have access to this life-changing Bible teaching. So thanks so much for getting generous. Chuck's teaching is heard around the globe infecting eight different languages and were able to do so in part through your generosity to give a donation today. Call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or give online@insight.org/don't travelers who want to take a tour to Israel have lots of choices, but if you measure up to the thoughtful journey prepared by Insight for living ministries with the proper mix of historical information and biblical context.

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When Chuck Swindoll presents what he calls a biblical case for healing tomorrow on Insight for living. The preceding message thinking theologically about sickness and healing was copyrighted in 1993 and 2003 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2003 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide.

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